


you on my horizon

by honeyspeaches



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Slow Burn, and is vaguely based on love rosie and a little bit one day, angsty so there's that, idek, it goes for 20 years, like idek know how to describe this, riley and maya have the same wedding anniversary which is cheesy but it needed to happen ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-16 04:50:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5814916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeyspeaches/pseuds/honeyspeaches
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She knows who moves first this time: it’s him, because he’s always chasing her and she’s always running from him, and she swears their mouths were made for each other."</p><p>It takes her two decades, two continents, and a lot of near-misses to figure it out, but it's true that good things come to those who wait.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you on my horizon

**Author's Note:**

> this is so unnecessary i can't even deal- the format is based off of the novel 'one day', which visits two people on the same day every year for like two decades, and the plot is vaguely inspired by the novel 'love rosie'. i recommend both if you ever need something to read. 
> 
> if it's not obvious, the numbers at the start of each segment are how old they are, and each segment takes place exactly a year after the last.
> 
> title from all time low's 'the edge of tonight'

**you on my horizon**

* * *

 

Maya understands love similarly to how she understands gravity; that is to say, she knows it’s there, and she’s grateful for its presence, but she has no idea how it works. It takes her two decades, two continents, and a lot of near-misses to figure it out, but it's true that good things come to those who wait.

* * *

_ 19 _

The first she knows of him is the smell of peppermint, jeans that cling to him in a way that shouldn’t be legal, and an easy smile; the first he knows of her is the fall of her heavy boots, the leather jacket that’s three sizes too big, and a smile that promises rebellion.

It’s inside the cinema, both accidentally alone, that they run into each other for the first time- quite literally, in fact. She’s rounding a corner, popcorn in one hand and her phone in the other- Riley, pick up, where are you?- when they collide, and the phone lands on her foot and the popcorn scatters across the carpeted floor, and curses are spilling out of her mouth as easily as a greeting might.

“Watch it,” snarls Maya, dropping into a crouch. She slips her phone into the pocket of her jeans, and as she determines whether any of her popcorn can be saved- it can’t- she finds herself staring at his shoes. They’re scuffed and blue and she’s pretty sure she has the same pair buried somewhere in her closet. She scowls, straightening, and crosses her arms over her chest. “Fuck, could you move? I have a film to see.”

Lucas steps aside. “Sorry,” he says, and as she’s pushing past him, “hey, you’re on your own?”

Rolling her eyes, she glances back. “Yeah,” she says. “My friend was meant to meet me, but I think she’s having sex, so I won’t hold it against her. What about you- hot date ditch you?”

“Something like that,” he says, and then he checks the time on his watch, and jogs after her before any of the employees can see him slip back into the cinema he’d just left without buying a new ticket. “In the mood for some company?”

Maya shrugs. “Not really,” she says. “But it’s not like I can stop you sitting with me, is it?”

“I mean, if you really want me to go…” he trails off as she grabs him by the arm and drags him to a seat on the left side of the room. He smiles, but the lights have dimmed and she doesn’t see it. “I’m Lucas, by the way.”

“I don’t care.”

***

As it is, the movie is terrible, and they leave halfway through it. Standing outside the cinema, where the air has turned cold, Maya waves down a taxi. She already has half of her body inside the vehicle when she glances out, and smiles. “I didn’t  _ hate  _ that,” she says, and then pauses. “Wait, what did you say your name was?”

Lucas laughs. “Give me your phone,” he says, and adds his number to her contacts when she complies. “I’ll see you around.” He turns and walks to his own taxi.

“Probably not!” she yells after him. 

Maya’s taxi pulls onto the street, and what she texts Riley is this:

_ thanks for ditching- actually had a decent time. tell charlie i say hi.  _

Riley replies with a smiling emoji and a claim that Charlie isn’t talking to Maya because she made fun of his haircut.

* * *

 

_ 20 _

“That guy’s staring at you,” says Lucas, pushing his drink aside and gesturing at a redhead on the other side of the bar. He looks slightly put out by this, but keeps any protests to himself as he gives the guy a cheerful wave. “And this time it’s not even because you have something stuck in your teeth. I don’t think, anyway- here, let me check.” 

Maya, rolling her eyes, turns her head to Lucas and bares her teeth. He gives her a thumbs-up, and she rolls her eyes harder. God, he’s a dork. “I know he’s staring,” she says. “He has been all night. Do you think he’d buy the next round if I flirted a little and gave him a fake number?”

This gets a laugh. “You’re terrible,” he says, but practically pushes her out of the booth. “Don’t make fun of his hair, and I could really go for some vodka. Good luck. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” 

“Well, that’s no fun,” says Maya, but she’s already straightening up and smiling at the guy, and Lucas ignores the tightness in his chest as he watches her put on her usual show. She gives the redhead that little half smile she does when she wants to seem cute, and rests a hand on his knee. It’s incredibly charming and incredibly fake, but neither of them are going to say no to a free drink.

Riley and Farkle appear a few minutes later, forcing Lucas to stop paying attention to Maya’s laugh- she covers her mouth a little when she laughs, hiding her smile, and her hand muffles the sound. 

“Maya didn’t ditch you, did she?” asks Riley, glancing to where her friend sits at the bar, frowning. “I hate when she does that.”

Lucas shakes his head. “She’s getting us free drinks,” he explains, waving away Riley’s accusation. “And possibly laid, but that’s whatever. You guys want any nachos? I’m feeling nachos.” He stands abruptly, and Farkle does the same when he sees Charlie hanging up his coat by the door, and they make their way over to the bar, leaving a respectable distance between them and Maya. “Nachos, thanks,” he says to the bartender, who nods. 

Over at the booth, Charlie’s kissing Riley’s cheek and their fingers are intertwined on top of the table. Lucas glances at Farkle, who’s watching the scene with a blank expression. He pats his friend’s shoulder. “You have a  _ much  _ better haircut than that guy,” he assures him.

Farkle cracks a grin. “Of course I do,” he says. “My hair’s fantastic.” There’s a pause, and then he seems to remember something. “Oh, right, hey, I’ve got a spare ticket to a basketball game this weekend. You in? Full disclosure, I have no idea who’s playing.”

“Yeah, sure,” says Lucas, but he’s distracted. 

The redhead has an arm around Maya’s waist and is whispering in her ear, and she’s smiling broadly at whatever’s being said, and she doesn’t seem to be particularly bothered when he starts to kiss her. There’s only a moment before their hands are linked and she’s being led away; she’s at the door, about to leave, when she turns and mouths a hurried apology to Lucas, and then she’s gone, her hair trailing behind her and the door slamming shut. 

“We’re kind of pathetic, aren’t we?” he says after a moment. 

“Disgustingly so,” agrees Farkle. 

Their nachos arrive and they don’t even bother heading back to the booth with them.

* * *

 

_ 21 _

As a general rule, Maya doesn’t hate anyone, because anyone that bad simply isn’t worth her time or energy, but she’s currently breaking that rule in a big way, because she really,  _ really  _ hates Missy Bradford. She hates her curly hair and her tight-lipped smile and her  _ stupid  _ high heels, and she  _ hates  _ that she’s always around. 

Like now, for instance, when Maya’s had a really terrible day, and all she wants is to rant to Lucas while eating crappy takeout, but she can’t do that, because when she slams their apartment door shut she glances up to see Missy sitting cross-legged on the couch, wearing only a smirk and one of Lucas’ NYU shirts that’s so big it practically falls off her shoulders. 

“Oh, hi, Missy,” says Maya, shoving her keys onto the small table by the door. She immediately heads to the kitchen, planning to break out a beer and a Chinese menu. “What a pleasant surprise. Where’s Lucas?” 

“Shower,” says Missy. She sounds smug, but Maya can’t for the life of her figure out why. Maybe it’s because- 

Oh.  _ Oh. _ Lucas and Missy just had sex. 

Well, that’s fine. It doesn’t bother her at  _ all _ , and it’s not like it’s any of her business, she’s just glad she stopped to buy a pair of boots on the way home because, wow, walking in on that would have been awkward. She wonders absently if Missy’s loud about it- she seems like one of those girls who tries to recreate the sounds she hears in porn, to seem cool, but really just ends up looking like an idiot. 

Wait, why is Maya still thinking about this? She shudders, taking a particularly long gulp from a random bottle of beer she finds in the fridge. It’s half empty already, and she sincerely hopes it was Lucas’ and not Missy’s. She really doesn’t want any of Missy’s sickeningly sweet  _ cooties  _ in her system. The bitch probably spits glitter. 

Maya’s, thankfully, saved from any further interaction with Missy by Lucas’ emergence from the bathroom. His jeans are low on his hips, and he’s not wearing a shirt, and he blinks when he sees Maya. “Hey,” he says, surprised. “I thought you had a date tonight?” 

Incidentally, the cancellation of her date had been exactly what she’d wanted to talk to Lucas about, but now she just really doesn’t want to be here. “Oh, yeah,  _ no _ ,” she says, grabbing one of the brownies she and Lucas had made a day or so ago. “Not happening. But I just came home to get changed, I’ll be gone in a few minutes.” 

Not waiting to hear his reply, she darts into her room. She changes into a short skirt and tugs on her new boots- black, knee-high, leather- and instead of making the awkward walk through the living room, she climbs out her window and onto the fire escape instead. She can hear Missy yelling as she leaves, but doesn’t stick around to find out the reason.

* * *

 

_ 22 _

Maya and Lucas are sending each other pained looks from across Riley’s living room, Lucas on the couch and Maya on the floor a few feet away. They’d come over for dinner, but Riley and Charlie are fighting again, and now everything’s become awkward as they listen to Riley’s shrill voice, in the kitchen and yelling that Charlie doesn’t appreciate her. 

“We should go,” says Lucas. 

Maya shakes her head. “I was promised ice cream cake, and I’m not leaving until I get ice cream cake,” she protests, smiling slightly. “I haven’t had it since I was a kid. That was my shit.”

“You’re ridiculous,” he says, but he’s smiling, too. 

Riley  _ screams  _ that she wants Charlie to take his things and get out, and to not come back, and Maya scrambles to her feet. “On second thought,” she mutters. “You coming, Huckleberry?”

Lucas is already halfway to the door, bundling their coats and Maya’s purse into his arms. “Come on,” he says, holding the door open for her. “ _ I’ll  _ buy you ice cream cake, if you want.”

“Of course I want.”

***

They end up at a late night ice cream parlour, and they don’t have cake, but he does buy her a triple scoop cone with caramel and mint and chocolate, and they sit together outside on the dark and quiet street, their backs pressed against a glass shop window. There’s a streetlamp about fifty metres away, and there’s the moon, and it’s just enough for Maya to see Lucas’ face. 

The night has become almost unbearably warm, and they’re both using their coats as pillows, and there’s a sense of nostalgia in the air, the scene reminiscing one of the first times they’d ever hung out. 

“Do you think they’re over for good this time?” asks Lucas, referring, of course, to Riley and Lucas.

Maya hesitates, and then she nods. “I think they’ve been over for months,” she says. “See, this is why I don’t believe in love and relationships and all that. They’ve been together since we were fifteen and even they can’t make it. What chance does anyone else have?” 

“You don’t believe that,” says Lucas, so confident and sure. “And if you do, you’re wrong. You have people falling in love with you every day, and besides, what high school relationship works out, anyway? Hey, you’ve got ice cream on your chin.” 

Maya reaches up to wipe it off, but she doesn’t get the chance. His fingers brush against her face, light and hesitant; so delicate she thinks she might cry. They’re both silent as it happens, and his thumb is just touching the corner of her mouth, and then he’s pulling away and it’s as if he was never there.

He glances down at his hand, looking slightly dazed, and when he sees the spot of caramel ice cream on it, he holds it up. “Here,” he says, smiling. 

Shaking her head, she slides a little further away from him. “You keep it,” she says, and then her phone starts to ring and it’s Riley and she knows she has to answer but right now she really doesn’t want to do anything but be here with Lucas. 

“You know,” he says, watching her as she goes to answer the call. “Someone should really tell Farkle.”

* * *

 

_ 23 _

The way Maya sees it is this: it’s all Lucas’ fault. 

Their apartment is a mess, and she’s standing with her back against the wall and he’s across the room and the distance between them feels like the vicious kind, like it might be claiming them as its victims, and she hates it. He’s yelling, and she hates that, too. She doesn’t hate him, but right then she wishes she did. It would make everything a lot easier. 

In honesty, she doesn’t even remember what they’re fighting about. It has something to do with some girl, she thinks- Darby, was it? Regardless of who it was, she’d gone on a few dates with Lucas and broke it off because apparently Maya had made her cry, but Maya barely even remembers her, let alone being cruel to her. She’s like that, though; sometimes she’s hurtful purely for the sake of being hurtful, and she hates that, too. 

She can see why one might think it’s her fault, but it is, in fact, not that way at all. She’d walked into the apartment, cold and wet from the storm outside, and he’d just started  _ screaming  _ at her. He didn’t even give her a chance to dry her hair. Therefore, his fault. 

Lucas is closing the distance, and maybe he’s remembering that she hates the sound of yelling because he’s not screaming anymore and his voice is softer and calmer, which is kind of worse, but she still doesn’t say anything as he berates her. It’s best, she thinks, to just wait for this to blow over. 

“You told me you didn’t have feelings for me,” he says, so close now that if she wanted to touch him she wouldn’t even have to reach for him, but she doesn’t want, and he doesn’t want her touching him, either, so there’s that. “You do remember saying that, right?” 

She remembers. He’d come home one night, wasted and alone, and told her how pretty she looked in the moonlight, which showed how drunk he was because they were indoors and there  _ was  _ no moonlight, and she’d swallowed the aching in her chest and told him that she just didn’t feel that way about him and told him to go to bed. 

She’d lied, of course. She’d had feelings for him then, and she has them now- the same, except now they’re stronger and more painful and it’s so much harder to ignore them. 

Maya doesn’t deserve someone like Lucas. He volunteers at animal shelters and he’s so good and she- well, she makes people like Darby, who she’s sure is a perfectly lovely girl, cry without even meaning to. She’s so much worse when she means to be. 

“Nothing’s changed,” says Maya, but,  _ fuck _ , he’s so close, and she wants to reach out so badly. He has one palm resting against the wall by her head, and the other is so close to her own that it takes all her willpower to not just hold it and be done with it. She slips out from where they’re standing, needing to get away from the heat of his gaze, and turns to face him from a safe distance. “This clearly isn’t working. I’m going to move out.”

* * *

 

_ 24 _

“I do,” says Farkle.

“I do,” says Riley. 

The room is packed, and Riley and Farkle are radiant, and even Charlie’s smiling from the back of the crowd, and the best-man and maid of honour watch each other with such sadness that it’s hard to believe they’re happy for their friends.

Maya and Lucas haven’t spoken for a year. 

***

When Maya moved out, she’s ended up getting an apartment with Missy Bradford, of all people, who really isn’t that bad when she’s not dating Lucas. Maya doesn’t like to think what that revelation says about  _ her _ . Jealousy isn’t a good look on anyone. 

Missy sits at a table with Charlie, and Maya joins them as soon as she can, not interested in being near Lucas. Everyone’s smiling and dancing and happy, and the three of them are the only ones who don’t seem to be having a great time. “I hate weddings,” she announces, crossing her arms on the table and resting her head on them. “Love in general, really.” 

“Sure you do,” says Missy, giving her shoulder a pat that’s probably supposed to be comforting but is really more patronising. “That’s why I caught you watching  _ Love Actually _ and crying last week.”

Charlie snorts. 

***

It’s a stupid thing to do, but Lucas looks really good in a suit and she can’t really help it. He’s dancing with someone she doesn’t know, and she marches right up to them, grabs him by the elbow, and drags him out into the cold night air. 

The silence between them is thick and filled with sadness. “Hey,” she says after a moment. “It’s been a while.” 

“Well, whose fault is that?”

Fair enough. 

Maya’s not really sure who moves first- probably her, because she’s selfish and horrible and has never been good at controlling herself- but then her arms are around his neck and his arms are around her waist and her face is pressed against his shoulder and his face is pressed against her hair, and he’s warm and soft and so lovely and good. 

“I’ve missed you,” she murmurs, turning her head so that her lips brush against his collarbone. She can feel his heartbeat, slow and steady and nothing at all like the frantic rattling of her own heart trying to escape its cage. “I’m so sorry, Huckleberry.” 

He looks down at her, and he’s smiling, like maybe he’s missed her, too. “You know, you never told me what that means.” It’s not a question, but she feels compelled to to answer it regardless. 

“I don’t know what it means,” she says, honestly. “It just suits you. You’re good.” 

She knows who moves first this time: it’s him, because he’s always chasing her and she’s always running from him, and she swears their mouths were made for each other. He tastes like champagne and red velvet cakes. 

“I’m moving,” she says when they break apart. Her timing has always been impeccable. He doesn’t say anything. “To France- there’s this really great job at this cool little art gallery, and they want  _ me _ !” She can’t keep the excitement out of her voice; when she got the news three weeks ago, the first person she’d wanted to tell was him. “I’ll be gone for three years, maybe more.” 

Lucas bites his lip, and then, “When are you leaving?” 

“Next week.” 

“Oh,” he says, but then he smiles. “Well, you have Skype, right?” 

Maya grins.

* * *

 

_ 25 _

The connection is dodgy, and flickers for a few moments before Lucas’ wide grin and bright eyes are clear and steady on her computer screen. He’s wearing a cowboy hat just because he knows she likes to make fun of him for it- god, he’s a dork. She doesn’t bother telling him that she kind of likes it whenever his southern accent slips out, because they’d agreed to just be friends when she moved, and friends don’t say those things to each other. 

“You’re a loser,” she says by way of greeting. 

Lucas’ smile only widens. “Yes,” he says, “but I am a loser who just got back from the post office because I finally found your favourite boots in the back of  _ my  _ closet and thought you might like them.”

“You’re an angel,” she corrects automatically. “A loser-angel. The first and best of your kind.” 

“So,” he says. “How’s life?” 

She holds her plate up in front of the screen. “I’m going to marry this croissant,” she tells him, and then she takes a bite and gives a ridiculous moan that causes his cheeks to flush. She stops herself- friends probably don’t moan at each other, either. “Seriously, everything’s great. My job’s great and I get to spend so much time painting and I can’t walk in any direction without finding at least three places willing to give me a free croissant if I flirt a little.” 

Lucas laughs. “I’m glad.” 

“How about you, Huckleberry?”

He opens his mouth to answer- and then a mess of curly hair appears on the screen, and Missy Bradford has her arm around him and is smiling a bright, gap-toothed smile. “Maya!” she cries. “It’s been  _ ages _ ! Are the French guys hot?” 

“Uh, yeah,” she says, struggling to not frown. Lucas and Missy are too close together, and their fingers are touching, and oh,  _ fuck _ . This must be why Lucas hasn’t been calling her as much- maybe he feels guilty, but more likely he just doesn’t have  _ time  _ for her now. She doesn’t even want to know how this happened. Their relationship had ended  _ terribly  _ last time, and call her selfish, but Maya had kind of hoped Lucas was waiting for her. It isn’t a conscious thing, but she hasn’t even looked at anyone like that since she’s been in Paris. “Totally hot. Listen, guys, I need to head off. Have a great night- or day, or whatever the fuck the time is over there. Bye!”

Maya slams the computer shut before she gets a reply, and then she starts to cry. 

***

Maya disappears, and Lucas curses himself. He should’ve told her earlier, but he just couldn’t. She seems so happy and he can’t be the one to change that. The look on her face when she saw Missy’s arm around him broke his heart.

“I miss her,” says Missy, oblivious, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” says Lucas. “I miss her too.”

* * *

 

_ 26 _

Riley and Farkle have a daughter named Charlotte, and Maya and Lucas are the godparents, so Maya gets two weeks off work to fly home and visit everyone. Lucas invites her to stay with him and Missy, but she almost throws up at the thought and checks herself into a hotel instead. 

Still, when they’re leaving Riley and Farkle’s, he insists on walking her back. 

The hotel of the lobby is bright and modern, and she’s stepping into the elevator when he blurts out, “Missy and I are getting married.” 

Oh. 

The elevator doors shut, and so does any chance she and Lucas ever had of ending up together. 

* * *

 

_ 27 _

“Maya Hart?” says a voice, and Maya glances up from her desk to see Charlie Gardner and a pretty girl with bright purple hair standing in front of her. She grins, jumping up and throwing her arms around him. He laughs, hugging her back. “I heard you’d ended up in Paris. Fuck, it’s been ages- what, Riley and Farkle’s wedding?” 

The girl smiles and starts wandering around the room, examining all the art pieces. Her eyes light up most at the abstract, colourful pieces

Maya nods. “Yeah, that’d be it, wouldn’t it?” she asks. “Wow, that’s a fucking long time. How’ve you been?” 

“I’m good,” says Charlie. “Really good. What about you- what are you doing here?” 

“Working,” she says, gesturing around the gallery’s first floor. “I’m a curator, and I run the afternoon art classes for kids. I volunteer at the tutoring centre down the road, too- teaching English, though most people here speak it anyway so I’m not down there that often. And  _ you _ ! What brings Charlie Gardner all the way across the ocean?” 

Charlie has a ridiculously big grin on his face, and gestures to the girl with the purple hair. “Gemma,” he says. “I met her when she was visiting family in NYC and I just kind of came back with her.” 

“That’s great.” 

Before he says anything, Gemma walks over, and she points at a piece hanging behind the desk. It’s splashes of colour, with half a female form on one side of the canvas and half a male form on the other, and they’re both in grey. “How much for that?” she asks, pulling out her wallet. “It’s lovely.” 

Maya flushes. “Oh, no, um, that’s not really for sale,” she tells her. “I just painted it last night, actually, and it’s kind of personal. Sorry.” She steps in front of it, almost protectively, hoping Gemma doesn’t push.

Charlie frowns. “You weren’t at Lucas’ wedding,” he says, giving her a knowing look. 

“No, I wasn’t,” she says. “I, uh, couldn’t get time off work.” That’s her excuse, anyway. It’s a lie. Suddenly, she turns and pulls the painting off the wall, passing it over to Gemma. “You know what, you can have this. I don’t want it.” 

Gemma leaves a pile of cash that Maya doesn’t even count and Charlie leaves a promise to catch up soon, and Maya is alone again. 

***

Lucas hears crying when he enters the apartment, and he follows it to the bathroom, where Missy is sitting on the edge of the bathtub, and when he opens the door, she hurls something across the room. 

It’s a pregnancy test.

* * *

 

_ 27 _

This is how they see each other next: he’s holding a crying baby, and she’s holding hands with a dark-skinned girl, and there’s nothing for them to say to each other, so he nods and she waves and they all sit down for dinner like civil adults, and they’re not looking at each other, damn it, they’re  _ not _ . 

“Where’s Missy?” asks Riley, flitting around the table and making sure everyone has enough food on their plates. Farkle is watching her insanity like it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen. “She told me she was coming tonight.”

Lucas stares at the table. “Had to work late,” he mutters, and then he raises his gaze and finally meets Maya’s eyes. “Hey, Maya. I would’ve called, but I didn’t know you were back. You look good.” 

There’s an awkward pause, and in that time Melanie tightens her hold on Maya’s hand just slightly. She knows about Maya’s history with Lucas, and has always been a little jealous. Maya clears her throat. “I  _ am _ good,” she tells him, and it’s the truth. “This is my girlfriend, Mel. Mel, this is Lucas.” 

“Nice to meet you,” says Mel, and Lucas smiles. 

Maya looks at the cot in the corner of the dining room, in which Charlotte is trying desperately to get Lucas’ son, Jack, to play peek-a-boo with her. “I didn’t even realise you and Missy had a kid, wow. How old is he?” 

“Almost four months,” he says, and that’s that.

* * *

 

_ 28 _

“I want a divorce,” says Missy.

***

“Marry me,” says Melanie.

* * *

 

_ 29 _

Melanie wears a white dress and Maya wears a red dress, and Charlotte throws flowers that get stuck in their hair as they walk down the aisle together. They say their vows, and they kiss, and it’s all very beautiful, and Lucas knows for sure that he’s still in love with her. 

The reception is small and everyone eats sushi and he leaves early because he really can’t stand it. He congratulates Melanie, gives Maya a quick hug, and tells her she looks lovely. 

“I always do,” says Maya, smiling. “Thanks for coming.” 

It’s about time that he gets a chance to be the one running, and Maya watches him go.

* * *

 

_ 30 _

It happens once and it happens like this: they’re drunk. 

Missy’s taken Jack on vacation with her family and Melanie’s out of town for work, and they’ve been trying so hard to be friends again because they love each other and they miss each other and the problem is that neither of them want to admit it because that would mean admitting defeat. 

Still, Lucas calls and Maya answers, and then they’re in his apartment, doing more vodka shots than either of them have done since college, and they’re kissing each other and then they’re not wearing shirts and then they’re in bed together. 

This has been over a decade in the making, and it’s worth it.

***

Maya has three missed calls, and a message from Melanie, that says something like this: she’s sorry she couldn’t be there, but happy anniversary, and she’ll be sure to make up for it when she’s back next week. 

She knows she’s a terrible person.

* * *

 

_ 31 _

It doesn’t work with Lucas. Maya leaves Melanie a month after the incident, and she and Lucas date for three months, and it’s the best three months of her life but it just doesn’t work, and now they can’t even talk to each other anymore, and everytime they see each other it usually ends with him leaving or her excusing herself to the bathroom where she proceeds to cry for a half hour or so. 

Her current situation is possibly the most awkward she’s ever been in. She’s sitting at a table in a nice restaurant, having polite conversation with Josh Matthews- something she’d dreamed about as a kid- and sitting just a table over is Lucas, who’s either now interested in guys as well as girls or is getting dinner with a friend. 

Maya hopes for the latter, purely because she doesn’t have to be jealous of a friend. Not that she’s jealous. 

All night, she feels Lucas sneaking glances at her, and yet they don’t speak a word to each other, and she tries her hardest to not look at him when she leaves with Josh. She fails, and he looks as heartbroken as the day she left him. She isn’t much happier herself, but she likes Josh, she really does. 

* * *

_ 32 _

“I’m happy for you,” says Riley when she finds out that her best friend and her uncle got hitched in Vegas, and the words are honest. “But there’s no way in hell I’m going to start calling you ‘Aunt Maya’, so you can just forget about that right now.” 

Maya smiles, helping the now six year old Charlotte mix paint together. She’s been working as an art teacher at her old high school, but she still prefers working with kids. They’re nicer and more fun than teenagers. “Good,” she says. “Because that would be pretty weird, wouldn’t it?” 

“The weirdest,” agrees Riley, and then she’s hugging her best friend and everything is okay. 

***

“They’re  _ married _ ?” asks Lucas, choking on his drink. 

"Happened in Vegas,” says Farkle, and then he’s hugging his best friend, and everything is not okay.

* * *

 

_ 33 _

They buy Cory and Topanga’s apartment when Josh’s brother announces he’s moving to the coast, and they make it their own, and sometimes Maya goes into Riley’s old room and sits in the bay window, and it’s like she’s twelve again, her and Riley ready to take over the world. 

“Let’s have a kid,” says Josh on one of these such days, when he finds her smiling widely at a picture of Charlotte and Jack at the park together. “Let’s have lots of them.” 

Laughing, she says, “Well, not  _ lots _ . I don’t think I could handle too many. How’s two sound?” 

Josh grins. “Two sounds great,” he says. 

“In that case, now seems like a good time to mention that I’m four months pregnant.”

***

“Come on, Missy,  _ don’t _ ,” pleads Lucas, but he already has Jack’s bags packed and is loading them into Missy’s car, so there’s a certain resignation to his tone, and he’s not surprised when Missy shakes her head, clips Jack into his car-seat, and drives across the country to move in with her new girlfriend. He won’t see Jack again until the summer. 

* * *

_ 34 _

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” says Maya, her arm draped casually across the back of Lucas’ seat, smiling happily and looking as warm and bright as she was when they met fifteen years ago. “This is crazy, right? We don’t even  _ know  _ these guys anymore, and we’re way too old to be at a rock concert.” 

Lucas grins. The two of them just recently heard that Zay’s band, who they’d been friends with in college, had finally made a name for themselves, and now they’re road-tripping to their first big concert in Atlanta. “We’re not even middle-aged,” he points out. “And besides, one is never too old for rock music.” 

“Do you think they still suck?”

“Oh, for sure.” 

They’d left before the sunrise so they’d have time to grab food before heading to the show, and Lucas pulls into a car-park outside a particularly sketchy looking diner, and announces they need to order as much breakfast food for dinner as possible. He darts around to the passenger side of the car and opens the door for her. 

“You sure okay staying with me for the next week at Missy’s?” he asks as they walk across the car-park. He couldn’t miss the chance to spend some time with Jack. “Because I’m happy to put you on a flight tomorrow. You don’t need to stay.” 

Maya shakes her head. “It’s not a road-trip if I get on a plane,” she says. “And I want to catch up with Missy. Besides, Josh says I worry too much about leaving him and Lucy alone.” He’d already sent four pictures proving he and their daughter were totally fine. “Come on, Huckleberry, it’ll be fun. When was the last time you and I hung out just the two of us, huh?” 

The answer is when they were dating, but he doesn’t say this, because he doesn’t want to ruin the trip before it even begins. Instead, he just asks if she wants pancakes, and does she still like them with golden syrup rather than maple syrup? 

“I can’t believe you remember things like that,” she mutters, smiling. “Yeah, I still like golden syrup.” 

“Of course I remember,” he says. “I remember everything.”

***

Zay’s band is kind of terrible, but teenagers seem to love them, and Maya and Lucas have a good time regardless of how bad the music is. “I really hope they quit while they’re ahead!” yells Maya over the sound of the bass, and Lucas laughs. 

She looks so pretty right then, dancing and alive and happy, that he can’t help it. “I love you,” he says, and he does so softly, but he can see from the way her movements slow and her eyes grow wide that she hears him. “I know you don’t want to hear it, I just need you to know. I’ve loved you since we were in college and I don’t think I’m ever going to stop.” 

The silence is loud and thick, and then she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, and sighs. “I know,” she says. “I’ve always known.” 

***

As they’re driving to Missy’s, she asks to be dropped off at the airport. 

“I’m sorry,” says Lucas.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” says Maya, and then he loses her all over again.

* * *

 

_ 35 _

Kermit Clutterbucket reappears after an absence of three decades, and when he asks Maya to see him, she doesn’t tell Josh or even Riley, and instead asks Farkle to come with her. “You know what it’s like,” she says. “Having a crappy father. I mean, your dad isn’t  _ this  _ crappy, but he’s kind of an arsehole, yeah?” 

“Yeah,” says Farkle, nodding, and so he’s the one holding Maya when the meeting predictably makes her cry. 

Maya gives Farkle’s hand a grateful squeeze and wipes her face. “I have a daughter,” she tells her father. “Her name’s Lucy, and she’s eighteen months old, and you didn’t know, did you?” 

He didn’t know, and that’s that. 

***

“I probably shouldn’t be telling you this,” says Riley, sipping her milkshake and sitting across from Lucas at a new coffeehouse that just opened down the road from his apartment. She pauses, as if she might  _ not  _ be telling him after all. “But I don’t think Maya’s all that happy without you.” 

Lucas’ head snaps up, his phone slipping out of his hand and clattering against the table. “What do you mean?” he asks. A waitress arrives with their sandwiches, and he waits until she’s gone. “Of course she’s happy. She has Lucy, and Josh, and-”

“She loves Josh,” says Riley, bluntly. “She always has, but she’s always loved you, too.” She takes a bite of the sandwich- ham, cheese, and tomato, which is Maya’s favourite, but Lucas tells himself not to know that. “They fight a lot, and not about the  _ stupid  _ things you fought with her about. She thinks Josh’s cheating on her and he thinks she’s cheating on him, neither of which is true, by the way, but she also thinks he drinks too much, and he thinks she doesn’t spend enough time with him, and it’s… not healthy.” She barely pauses for breath until she’s done, and her cheeks are slightly red. “And she misses you.” 

That gets Lucas’ attention, but he shrugs it off. “You’re right,” he says lightly. “You shouldn’t be telling me this.” He doesn’t have an appetite anymore, and pushes his plate away. 

Riley sighs. “I know,” she admits. “But if she and Josh were to split, are you honestly telling me you wouldn’t try to fix things between the two of you?” She looks like she’s accusing him of something, even though they’re friends and she’s telling him this because she cares about him, and he doesn’t like it. 

“Honestly?” he asks. “Maya’s turned me down so many times I don’t know if I can handle it again.” 

“That’s fair, but it’s not an answer.” 

“No,” he agrees. “It’s not.”

* * *

 

_ 36 _

“I’m getting a divorce,” says Maya, glumly dropping down onto Lucas’ couch. She has a bag in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other, and Josh has Lucy this week so she fully intends to get as drunk as she possibly can. “Again. God, aren’t I pathetic? I’m like Ross from  _ Friends _ , except I’m cuter, and it’s more realistic that I’d date Jennifer Aniston than he ever would.” 

Lucas laughs. “You’re less sexist than he is, too,” he points out, popping open his own beer and joining her on the couch. He leaves space between them, not willing to get too close. “And you’re too cool to ever dress up as an armadillo.” 

“This is true,” she agrees, laughing along with him even though nothing about the situation is even remotely funny. She’s so tired of the constant hurt that she would probably laugh at anything if it could take away the ache. “But still. I never thought I’d get married _once_ , let alone _twice_ , and have them _both_ fail.” 

“Ah, chin up,” he says. “At least your wife didn’t leave you for another woman. Really, in this situation,  _ I’m  _ Ross, except I’m not even cuter.” 

Maya rolls her eyes. “Trust me, Huckleberry,” she says. “You’re far cuter than Ross.” 

They look at each other, and they smile, and it would be so easy for them to move closer, but neither of them do because she’s hurting and he’s too in love to even think of doing anything that could further that, so instead he breaks the gaze and flicks the TV on. “ _ Friends _ marathon?” he asks. 

“Oh, fuck,  _ yes _ .”

* * *

 

_ 37 _

Lucas and Jack wave at her through the computer, and Missy and her girlfriend- still only a girlfriend, she doesn’t want to move on to anything too quickly, which is  _ smart _ \- are half asleep in the background.

“Where’s Lucy?” demands Jack, frowning. “You said I could see Lucy.” 

Maya laughs. “Sorry, kiddo,” she says. “She’s with her dad this week, but she’ll definitely be here when you guys get back, okay?” She smiles, crossing her legs beneath her and clutching her hot chocolate with both hands. “Shouldn’t you be getting to bed?” It’s past nine where they are, and Jack huffs and reluctantly disappears off screen. 

“Hey, Maya,” yells Missy sleepily, smiling and waving. 

_ That _ , Maya thinks, is what love should look like. Missy and her girlfriend seem ridiculously happy. She’s not sure she’s ever been like that. 

“Come home, Huckleberry,” says Maya, weary but smiling. “New York misses you.” 

Lucas grins. “I miss New York,” he says, and pauses before he continues. “And you. I miss you, Maya. I’ll see you in five days.”

“Yeah, five days,” she says. “Sounds good.”

* * *

 

_ 38 _

“Mummy, what happened to Jack?” asks Lucy, her eyes drooping sleepily. “And Lucas. Haven’t seem them in _ages_.”

Maya, bunching the blankets around her daughter’s feverish, half unconscious body, sighs. She holds her hand to Lucy’s forehead- she still has a temperature- and smiles lightly. “They moved away, sweetie,” she said. “To be closer to Jack’s mum. Don’t worry, Lucy. They’ll come and visit soon.” 

She hopes she sees Lucas again.

***

“Dad, when are we going back to New York?” yells Jack, kicking a soccer ball into the wall. “I left one of my Xbox games at Maya’s.” 

Lucas, a phone pressed to his ear, shrugs. “Soon,” he promises. “We’ll go back soon.” Jack looks like he wants to say more, but the person from the electricity company starts speaking and Lucas waves his son away. 

He hopes he sees Maya again.

* * *

 

_ 39 _

Maya doesn’t even realise she’s crying until a drop of water falls from her cheek onto the crumpled movie ticket, the faded print barely even legible. She’d found it early, going through one of the boxes of junk she and Lucy had brought to the new apartment. God, so much has happened since she’d seen that crappy movie. 

The decision is reckless but she feels it’s right. She checks flight prices, and then calls out for Riley, who’s unpacking the kitchen, to watch Lucy for the day, and the night, and probably tomorrow. 

***

Lucas pulls open the door, and she’s standing there, hair wet from the rain, with a small piece of paper crumpled in her fist. “Maya?” he asks, frowning. “Is everything alright? What are you doing here?” 

“Twenty years,” is her answer. “It’s been twenty years- on this day, twenty years ago, you ran into me and I spilled my popcorn and was completely horrible to you and you came and watched an _awful_  movie with me anyway, and I’ve been in love with you ever since.”

A smile spreads across Lucas’ face, and is mirrored on Maya’s, and it’s true that good things come to those who wait.

**Author's Note:**

> penny for your thoughts? xx


End file.
